The 5 Traits of High Performers

This past weekend I traveled to the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in Pasadena to hear doctors, nutritionists, yogis, motivational speakers and athletes deliver incredible information on how you can live your very best life. The path to overall health and happiness does involve great nutrition, but that is only a small sliver of the overall picture. To be truly happy and healthy we have to work on our sleep, exercise, relationships, stress, mental agility, mission, hobbies and spirituality.

To kick off the conference we heard from Brendon Burchard, an unbelievable motivational speaker that’s a part of Oprah’s team, has interviewed two presidents and works with Fortune 500 CEOs every day. So, as you can imagine, I hung on to every word that he had to say.

Brendon’s talk was titled The 5 Traits of High Performers and I’m going to share his tips with all of you because, who doesn’t want to be a high performer?

1. Clarity :: There has to be a vision of what you want and why you really want it. Why? Because every single person says that they want to win the gold medal, have lots of money, or be the CEO of a company, but not many people get clear on why they want that. So, how do you get clear on what it is that you want?

Ask yourself the questions that you’d ask yourself at the end of your life. Did I live? Did I live MY life? Not my parent’s life or my husband’s life, but my life? Did I love? Look at these questions every day and live those answers. When you live those answers, your life and your goals become very clear.

Now, how do we stay focused on our objective and goals every day? It's important to set cues and conditions for ourselves so that we can stay present and be reminded of our goals. A great way to do that is to use your cell phone as a trigger. Set an alarm 3-5 times per day and use the title to write in your goal or intention. Then, you will be reminded to get back on course whenever your alarm goes off. We all need continuous reminders so that we don’t get lost and can remain proactive.

2. Energy :: You know what all high performers have in common? They have a ton of energy! How? High performers know that they don’t HAVE energy, they GENERATE energy. You are the power plant for your own energy and are therefore responsible for making it. So, don’t play victim to what you feel might be a lack of energy. Instead, do what it takes to generate as much energy as possible. Eat well, get good sleep, meditate, take a walk and then know that you have the control to take yourself from a 3 to an 8 within seconds. Studies done with high performers show that just by taking a moment to evaluate your energy on a scale from 1-10 and then telling yourself that you’re taking it up 3 numbers results in a huge spike in actual energy. So remember, you don’t have energy, you generate it.

3. Productivity :: When you are more productive you are happier, more efficient, you have more free time, time to spend working out, with your family, traveling and you can have flow in what you do. The average American spends 4 hours a day watching tv, trolling Facebook or YouTube or playing on their cell phone. You know what that is equivalent to? 13 years of your life and about $900,000 in lost income. Not only that, but it’s 13 years of time not spent with family, friends or doing things that you love. Now, if you do decide to spend time online or watching tv, which I definitely do sometimes, then just know that you’re doing it. Don’t get lost in time and then before you know it you’re 4 episodes deep in Orange is the New Black!

How else can you improve your productivity? Move from being reactive to proactive. The first thing you’re not allowed to do is check your email for the first 60 minutes of your day. Yes, that’s right! When you pick up your phone you’re checking out of your spirit and your life and entering a world of reaction. Your inbox is a place for other people’s agendas, not yours. Instead, wake up, drink some water, stretch a little bit and open or move your body. Then, outline your priorities for that day. What are your major prospects and priorities? What must happen for you today? Then, open up your email and sort it by your priorities, not theirs. Email does not own you. With this tool you can become visionary again and tackle your biggest priorities first.

4. Influence :: High performers generate influence by teaching people how to think and challenging them. Have you ever noticed that a high performer carries a certain energy or space with them wherever they go? It’s because they are in complete control of their vision and themselves. They have taken time to choose their words, how they are presented and perceived.

High performers also aren’t afraid to challenge people. We need more people out there challenging each other because that in turn will challenge you and inspire growth. People of influence are comfortable in the uncomfortable, which in turn, leads to greatness.

5. Courage :: To be an influencer or high performer you have to have a higher sense of responsibility to be courageous. That courage comes right back to number one, which is clarity. When you have clarity you have the courage to fight for what you want; you generate the courage to get after your goals. So many people live these lives that are resigned and caged. Living your life scared will never get you to where you want to be. So, I encourage you to begin to rattle the cage and support others that are doing the same. With courage comes amazing change and inspiration.

Lastly, remember that you do not have these 5 things, you generate them! So go generate your high performer power and start kicking some ass!